This invention relates generally to paperboard carriers for use in packaging articles and, more particularly, sealed bottles containing a liquid, especially, a beverage such as beer or soft drinks.
Carriers are secondary containers which are widely used in the beverage industry to facilitate transporting beverages such as soda and beer packaged in primary containers, usually cans and bottles. Many carriers are of the fully enclosed type, that is the carrier totally encloses the primary containers is one such container shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,402. Carriers of this type provide, inter alia, protection for the beverage against possible adverse effects of light and also security against product tampering since it can readily be noticed if the secondary package has been interfered with in order to gain access to one of the enclosed primary containers. However many carriers especially those which accommodate bottles, are what are known as xe2x80x9cbasket carriersxe2x80x9d which are generally fully open at the top thereby exposing the bottles which are supported from below and, generally, each bottle has its own compartment or cell. If such a carrier is tipped, it is possible for one or more of the bottles to fall out moreover since some or all of the bottles may be extracted and re-inserted without leaving any indication, this could pose a security risk as far as possible tampering of product is concerned. Examples of such cartons are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,721,001 and 4,319,682. Another type of carrier is called a xe2x80x9cwrap-aroundxe2x80x9d since it is formed by folding a strip of material around a number of bottles and its ends are then secured to form a sleeve enclosing the bottles. The ends of the package may be open and this can cause various problems and, in particular, bottles may be relatively easily dislodged or extracted from the package without the package material being noticeably changed. A carrier of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,027. The loss of a bottle from the pack and thereby loss of a sale of the unit is a problem but also there is a possible lack of security in that there is increased risk that an extracted bottle may be deliberately tampered with and returned to the package leaving no indication it has happened.
Unlike cans, conventional beverage bottles are typically of substantially the same diameter from the base to the midsection or shoulder and then tape into a smaller diameter neck. This design allows a bottle to be relatively readily eased out of the carrier vertically or horizontally and, to some extent, it can be angled as it exists a cell or the sleeve.
The question of product integrity is of increasing concern especially in view of the increased use of bottle closures which, for convenience, are more easily removed and without obvious visible signs and can be re-applied more evenly than for example, the traditional xe2x80x9ccrimped onxe2x80x9d crown closures. Traditionally applied crown using crimped-on crowns or capsules has rendered each individual bottle somewhat secure. As indicated, closed carriers by their nature also guard against this possibility.
However, it is highly desirable in the beverage industry in some instances to use a package which provides that substantial portions of the bottled beverage are exposed to the consumer. This allows the consumer to see the neck and the whole or part of the body label which, in combination with the bottle colour and shape, are esthetically pleasing. The ability to do this is considered very important by marketters since a distinctly shaped bottle, perhaps in combination with colour and design elements, associated with the product, can readily and immediately impart the desired message of product identification to the consumer.
In addition, there are a number of situations when it is necessary or desirable to produce retail packages of beverages by hand, for example, to produce four-packs of beer in small amounts for special promotions or in small amounts which are not produced economically on present day high volume equipment.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a carrier for filled and sealed beverage bottles which carrier provides easier visual access to the bottles whilst rendering removal and reinsertion of a bottle from a filled carrier without leaving a visible indication thereof very difficult.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide simple an inexpensive bottle carrier which can easily be filled manually and which provides wide visual exposure to the enclosed bottles and the associated graphics and other indicia carried thereon.
The present invention provides a bottle carrier which includes a tray-like base which can support a complement of filled and sealed bottles which, in combination with a bottle restraining system, which can comprise one or more straps which overlies each bottle and prevents each bottle top from being accessed, and each bottle from being extracted from the carrier, without the carrier being damaged in a manner which is readily visible. The restraining system is also designed to allow wide visual expose to the bottles. The carrier can readily and inexpensively be produced in one piece and manually filled rapidly and easily.
The carrier of the invention lends itself to use with small numbers of bottles for example six or less but especially four or less. The circumference defined by the side and end walls is chosen so that, when the full complement of bottles is placed in the carrier, they are held tightly and essentially precluded from moving laterally.
The height of the side or end walls may vary provided, of course, it fills the required function namely, prevents lateral movement of the bottles. It is preferably less than half the height and especially less than one third of the bottles to be enclosed in the carrier. In this way, a significant proportion of the enclosed bottles and indicia and the like they carry are able to be viewed.
The bottle restraining means is preferably a strap extending from a side wall or end wall in combination with a panel or panels which overlies or overlie the sealed openings of bottles in the carrier. For convenience, a single panel overlying all the bottles is preferred but this is not essential. For example, in a carrier for four bottles arranged in two rows of two, there might be two narrow top panels, each overlying two bottles, the top panels being maintained in position by one strap connected to opposing side walls or end walls or two pairs of straps, each pair maintaining one top panel in place.
Each bottle is restrained by engaging means on the top panel, the means being, for example, a cut-out or a xe2x80x9cdomexe2x80x9d or bulge in the material which receives a bottle top preventing unsealing of the bottle unless the restraint is visibly tampered with. Essentially, the bottle would need to be removed from the carrier and the system ensures this is not possible with irreparably damaging the carrier.
In one aspect the present invention provides a paperboard carrier for sealed beverage bottles said carrier comprising: a pair of spaced substantially parallel side walls; a pair of spaced end walls connected to ends of said side walls to form a preferably rectangular continuous perimeter member; a base member connected to a lower edge said side and/or end walls so as to form a tray member to support the bottles and maintain adjacent bottles in contact; and bottle restraining means comprising a strap member extending from an upper edge of each side wall or each end wall away from the base member to a top member which overlies and contacts each sealed bottle opening, each said strap members having a width less than a length of its associated side wall or end wall, said bottle restraining means being adapted, in combination with said base to engage and prevent unsealing of a little when in, and extraction of a bottle from, the filled carrier without causing visible change, and in particular, damage, to the carrier.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a paperboard carrier for four sealed beverage bottles, said carrier comprising; a pair of spaced substantially parallel side walls; a pair of spaced substantially parallel end walls connected to ends of said side walls to form a rectangular perimeter; a base member connected to said side and/or end walls so as to form a tray member to support the bottles; and bottle restraining means comprising a strap member extending from an upper edge of each side wall or each end wall away from the base member to a member which overlies and contacts each sealed bottle opening, each said strap members having a width less than a length of its associated side or end wall, said bottle restraining means being adapted, in combination with said base to engage and prevent unsealing of a bottle in, and extraction of a bottle from, the filled carrier without causing visible change, and in particular, damage, to the carrier.
In another aspect, the invention provides a one piece blank for producing the carrier of the invention.
The present invention further provides a retail beverage pack comprising a carrier of the invention containing a full compliment of sealed bottles filled with a beverage and sealed. Finally, according to the present invention, there is provided a retail beverage package including a paperboard carrier comprising a pair of spaced substantially parallel side walls; a pair of spaced end walls connected to ends of said side walls to form a continuous perimeter; a base member connected to a lower edge of said side walls or end walls so as to form a tray member which supports a full complement of whose openings are sealed bottles filled with a beverage and which maintains immediately adjacent bottles in contact and bottle restraining means comprising a strap member extending from an upper edge of each side wall or end wall to a top member which overlies and contacts a sealed opening of each bottle, each of such strap members having a width less than a length of it""s associated side wall or end wall, said bottle restraining means being adapted in combination with said base to engage and prevent unsealing of a bottle in and extraction of a bottle from, said carrier without causing visible change such as damage, to the carrier.